


Help, my WoL is an idiot (but I still love her)

by FatBunny



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Post-Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-25 22:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20033497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatBunny/pseuds/FatBunny
Summary: The once stoic Warrior of Light&Darkness finally opens up about what's going through her head and heart... and the Exarch isn't fully prepared for it. Despite some angsty moments, this is mostly meant to be a humorous take on the power of friendship between a crazy hero and her fanboy. Enjoy!





	1. The promise

After working tirelessly for nearly 100 years for the Champion of the Source to be summoned to this reflection, the auri woman arrived quietly but left with a bang, which shouldn’t have surprised the man known as The Crystal Exarch. However, despite Emet-Selch’s attempt at foiling the long-lived miqo’te’s plans, the woman managed to not only survive, but to rescue the Exarch from his carefully-timed demise as well. He had no words for the feelings that she stirred inside his chest, for the fact that he was still alive wasn’t part of his plans, and it was all thanks to her.

“No, it’s not.”

She interrupted his monologue, her expression devoid of emotion, as usual. G’raha Tia had found her in his favourite spot, sitting down at the edge with her legs hanging from it. The not-so-young miqo’te had taken the opportunity to thank her one more time, especially since they were finally alone. However, the woman didn’t seem very appreciative of his words, and while he tried to maintain his posture, his ears couldn’t help but drop.

“What do you mean--”

“It was all Emet-Selch, wasn’t it?” she interrupted him, this time a hint of annoyance in her eyes and tone of voice. The Exarch gave her a tentative smile, worried that he might have said something to upset her.

“I don’t understand… He tried to have you turn into a Sin Eater, how does that--”

She interrupted him again, this time tilting back her head so she could look down at him, “Yes, he did. And by doing so, he stopped you from taking the light that was killing me so you could die in my stead. Did you want to roam the void as a Sin Eater that badly?”

He flinched slightly at the sudden coldness in her voice. Did his plans to save her truly upset her this much? The red eyed man put his hands up, as if surrendering.

“I-I see what you’re implying, but at the time--”

“I hate this.”

This time, her voice was quiet. She looked away from him and down at her knees as she pulled them to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. G’raha slowly let his hands move down to his lap, gently grabbing onto the fabric hanging from his robes. She looked sad for the most part, but the way she was sitting made him feel like she was trying to protect herself. He had never seen her this vulnerable before, and he could feel his chest tightening up a bit.

“Please, would you listen to me?”

He didn’t look at her, and she didn’t look at him either. While she kept her head low, he looked up at the pleasant darkness above, full of stars and their colorful dust. The moon was nowhere to be seen, which only made the speckled lights shine brighter.

“I was trying to thank you for everything you did, because I wanted to make sure you knew how much you meant to everyone… to me.” he hesitated at that last part, feeling his face increasing in temperature as his heart skipped a beat. He was never meant to live this long or tell her any of these things. In fact, he was still adjusting to this new life of not having to worry about the calamity that he had witnessed with his own eyes.

He continued, “However, I’m sorry that I didn’t notice your feelings. I was only... taking you and this star’s safety into consideration. I-…” he clutched his hands harder into the fabric and lowered his head as well “I tried so hard to make everything work out… and I was so scared of failure. Again, I’m sorry.”

The miqo’te peeked at the woman sitting next to him from the corner of his eyes, wondering if that was enough, if anything was ever enough. She was frowning a bit, her cyan orbs still misty and dark, as if there was no joy left in them. The hero closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at the sky that she brought back.

“It’s fine. ...And I’m sorry for… acting this way. Pretty unbecoming of a hero, huh?” she let out a small chuckle, then started getting up, clearly trying to get away from this conversation. G’raha’s pitiful expression was now gone from his features, replaced with a serious one.

Taking hold of her wrist with his normal hand, he kept her from fully standing up, almost causing her to lose her balance. She blinked at him, wondering why he was suddenly so forceful.

“I know I’ve been distant, but you know why I did what I did. I’m not expecting you to forgive me straight away, but... please.” his ears lowered slightly as he hesitated, trying to find the words. “I’m planning on being completely honest with you from now on. No more secrets, no more distance. So… can I ask you to do the same?”

Straightening herself up, she flicked orange bangs away from her face with a finger, “Do you even know what you’re asking?”

“Huh?” he let out quietly, afraid that he asked too much.

The auri woman frowned a bit again, eyeing him carefully. Her wrist was still being held captive by his hand, yet she made no attempt at taking it back. “I’m… your hero, right? The one you read about after you woke up. The one who you were talking about… back in Kholusia.”

His eyes widened as his cheeks flushed with color. He wanted her to know… yet he thought that maybe she would only understand his words after he was gone. Being faced with this situation was embarrassing, to say the least. Still, he nodded, the hold on the woman’s wrist softening as he did so.

“If you get too close to your heroes… you might end up disappointed, you know?”

She gave him a sad smile, the saddest he had ever seen on her. While he had witnessed her looking upset before, just as he was about to trap himself in the Crystal Tower, she had managed to give him a bright smile, along with a hopeful promise. Now, she seemed to have lost that light.

“Why would you say that?” he asked her, standing up to look at her properly. “My intentions, my aspirations…” he shook his head, “I met you before I even knew who you were! And sure, you’ve done such amazing things, one can’t help but be fascinated by your deeds, but I--”

The woman interrupted him once more, this time as she yanked her arm from his hand. He gulped as he noticed the anger in her eyes, and asked the Twelve what in Ifrit’s hell did he do to deserve this.

“My heroic deeds, huh? Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

G’raha Tia didn’t even bother to answer. Much like a child that got himself into trouble, he quietly let her finish her rant, “I don’t know what you read in those books, but I wonder how much they actually told? Did they mention Haurchefant, who died to protect me? Ysayle, who died to give us a chance to reach Azyz Lla? Papalymo, who died to contain Shinryu??”

Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped with her sleeve while biting down on her lower lip. After a sniffle, she regained her proud composure, though the tears weren’t showing any sign of stopping.

“You almost died too, you know? If it wasn’t for Ardbert… I would’ve turned into a Sin Eater and doom two stars. And if you hadn’t summoned my companions, who knew if I would’ve made it against Emet-Selch…!”

With a trembling lip, she carefully looked up at the Exarch, only to quickly look away, the area around her eyes, cheeks, and nose turning pink. The man remained silent as he watched her, finally starting to understand her struggles. His features didn’t fully show the pain that he felt in his heart as he tried to remain calm and composed. It was something that he became very good at during his time in the First, though he couldn’t help but feel that he had lost a part of himself along the way.

“...What kind of hero am I? If everyone is willing to die for me, then…” she never finished her sentence. Not that she wanted to, either, but the red haired miqo’te didn’t need to hear any more. In a not so gentle way, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry for not realizing this sooner. I’m sorry, but…” while his crystallized arm firmly remained around her waist, the other one moved up to caress the back of her head, “You’re not alone anymore. We can have each other.”

While he didn’t mean that in a romantic sense, the miqo’te couldn’t help but frown as he felt his face get even hotter and the beating of his heart increasing by tenfold. If the auri woman even tried to break away from this hug, he wouldn’t let her. The Exarch wasn’t willing to risk having her see him like this, and make their relationship even more awkward.

The man managed to relax a bit as she finally hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. Their heights were very close, his ears being the only thing that made him taller than her. It… didn’t make him feel very manly, but being able to be this close to her face wasn’t so bad, either. After a few quiet sobs and a sniffle here and there, she finally spoke, her voice muffled by his hood.

“You make a much better hero…”

G’raha appreciated those words, he really did, but the context in which they were said worried him. He ran his fingers through her hair one last time before bringing his hands up to her shoulders, gently pushing her away. She gave him a sad, confused look, clearly wanting the hug to last a little longer. He couldn’t help but smile at that, but there were things that needed to be addressed.

“I have a proposal.” he started, gentle blood-colored eyes staring at her cyan ones, still filled with moisture. He hated to see her like this, but part of him was glad to see this side of her too… He mentally shook such thoughts from his head before continuing, “Let’s forget all of this hero stuff. Just like how it started… two adventurers becoming friends.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared back at him, contemplating his words, “We were already friends…”

“Well, I mean… I don’t want to be friends with the Warrior of Light, or the Warrior of Darkness… much like I don’t want you to see me only as the Crystal Exarch.”

Her expression lit up after hearing this, eyes sparkling with something more than just tears.

“Let’s be best friends. The type that can talk freely about our issues, with no judgement about social standings or past actions. Let us be equals in the most ordinary way possible.” he finished with a grin, his ears flicking around as she finally managed to smile back at him.

“I… would like that. No…” she shook her head, “I’d love that.”

Looking down with a smile, she raised her head and showed him her left hand, her pinky finger sticking out, “How about a promise?”

The man blinked at her finger and chuckled. It had been so long since he had seen that gesture, as it was something that only children from the Source seemed to know about. Despite that, he happily raised his own left hand and linked his pinky with hers, “Sounds good to me. What say you, best friend?”

With a big grin, she nodded at him. Both repeated the nursery rhyme that felt so familiar to both of them, thus completing their promise. However, the auri woman suddenly stopped smiling.

“I’m glad I chose to do it with this hand. If it had been your crystal hand… you could’ve just broken off your finger to stop yourself from having to keep your promise.”  
The Exarch’s smile dropped, and after what felt like the longest 5 seconds of silence in his life, he couldn’t hide the annoyed look on his face at the stuff she just told him, “Wait, what? I was the one who suggested this promise!”

“Yeaaah, but maybe you planned on doing it with the other hand and--”

He interrupted her stupid conspiracy theories by flicking her on the forehead with his crystallized hand. Even if his other hand wasn’t currently occupied, he still would have chosen this hand for maximum damage. Her head jerked back at the impact, and she looked back at him with her right hand over the red spot on her forehead, tears back in her eyes.

“What was that for?!”

“For ruining the moment, you idiot!”

They stared at one another for a few seconds before she burst into laughter, quickly followed by his own. Wiping the wetness from her eyes, she beamed at the red haired man, “I’m looking forward to this, best friend!”

With hesitation, he gave her an awkward smile and nodded. With their fingers still connected, much like the red string of fate uniting two souls, G’raha Tia couldn’t help but wonder if this was a good idea after all...


	2. Just a normal day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While G'raha is busy getting back into old habits, the WoL decides to drop by to share an incredible tale with him.

After saying goodbye to the most beloved hero in the First, the Crystal Exarch put on his hood before making his way back to the Ocular. Once he was away from prying eyes and behind closed doors, the man covered his face with both hands and dropped to the floor, adopting a fetal position while muttering to himself. Why did he have to say those things, without taking her feelings into consideration? Why did he feel that it was okay to hug her right there and then? And worst of all, how could he lose his cool and just flick her on the forehead?!

He sat up with a dark expression and droopy ears. That whole situation felt so out of character, and yet... so nostalgic. It was something that he was sure he would have done in the past, but that was so long ago... enough to make him feel like G’raha Tia was no longer himself. With an exasperated sigh, he stood up and dusted off his robes. On his way to his private quarters, he caught himself in the wall’s reflection and paused. While it was far from working as a mirror would, he could still see the shape of his hair and ears, the color of his irises, and the blue hues that tore through his skin. Narrowing his eyes, the miqo’te turned his face away before covering his head with his hood one more time. There were more reasons for wearing it other than the concealment of his identity… but that was an issue for another time. Pushing any depressing thoughts and feelings away, he finally walked inside his room, closing the door behind him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time wasn’t something that he noticed easily while inside the Crystal Tower. Without the aid of a portal, which served as his eyes in the small world outside of the tower, he could stay inside for days on end. As long as he remained within the crystallized monument, basic things such as eating or sleeping weren’t an issue. As long as the tower was able to harness energy he, too, should be able to live indefinitely.

Because of this, G’raha would spend extended periods of time at all hours doing what he was best at: looking for valuable information in ancient tomes. While the Allagans left behind a large amount of books and logs for him to go through, it still wasn’t enough to keep him occupied for over 100 years. However, since his plan to release the scions’ souls back to the Source backfired with the Exarch being, well...  _ alive _ , now he needed to read most of them again in hopes of finding an answer to this predicament.

The miqo’te’s ears twitched as he felt a disturbance within the tower. The source made itself known almost immediately, her pixie wings shining just as brightly as her usual playful smirk.

“Well, well, still reading those old things? You know, daylight isn’t as bad nowadays -- you could use some fresh air!”

Keeping a thumb between the pages so he wouldn’t lose progress, G’raha set the large book on his lap and gave the Fairy King a small smile.

“Tis good to see you again, Feo Ul. Would you mind telling me what time it is?”

“We’re only a few hours away before the sun starts to set.” the fairy shrugged, eyeing him with sympathy, “So how come you’re stuck inside your castle? Even we go outside to play~”

The man didn’t even try to follow the flying fae folk with his eyes as she circled around him, returning to his book as he continued their conversation, “My apologies, but I’m currently busy. Is there anything you need? Other than fighting off boredom.”

The fiery pixie stopped in her tracks and rested her small hands on her hips, “My my, is this any way to speak to the Fairy King? After all the help I gave to my little sapling, one would think you would be more thankful!”

With a sigh, he finally placed an old ribbon between the pages and closed the book, setting it down at his feet before standing up. “Fine, fine... I will humour you just this once.” he gave her another smile. “So, what will it be?”

Feo Ul gave him a big grin, bringing up her folded hands near her face as she twirled in the air, “Fi-nal-ly~! Well, we have a very simple request, one that we’re sure won’t be hard to do, even for an old mystel like you!”

The Exarch chuckled and gave her a shrug. She continued, this time with a sweeter expression on her features, “Would you visit us again? Last time, my sapling made everyone soooo happy~ Especially the Nu Mou. Even some of the Amaro might appreciate a new friend.”

The leader of the Crystarium looked thoughtful as he lowered his head, bringing up a hand to his chin, “Surely you don’t mean me specifically? So, you would have me arrange for some of our people to visit Il Mheg?”

The King shook her tiny finger and gave him a sly look, “Oh, but what kind of leader are you if you don’t guide them with your sparkling example?”

The Crystal Exarch gave her a blank look, wondering what she was planning with all of this. But before he could ask anything, she continued, “Oh! And do bring our dear, adorable sapling. She hasn’t come visit us yet and we miss her so~”

Ah, there it was. He couldn’t help but ponder if that was all there was to this, but despite his concerns, he gave her a nod with a pleasant smile, “It shall be done. Once both of us get some free time from our duties, I’ll make sure we come visit you and your people.”

Feo Ul giggled happily with one last spin in the air, “Perfect! ...Oh!”

Just after she said that, both of them heard the Ocular’s door opening, “That would be my sapling! I would come say hi, but I’m still hoping she’ll summon me because she can’t bear to be apart from me any longer! ...Anyway, don’t tell her I invited you two over, okay? Gotta play hard to get! See you!”

With a sparkling twirl, Feo Ul was gone. G’raha stared at the door that divided his private quarters from the Ocular’s main room, imagining the woman with the long, amber hair on the other side. While her presence generally made him feel slightly anxious, this time he actually felt…  _ awkward _ . The day before had been quite intense and he wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to talk to her. Feeling the urge to pull the hood over his head, he swallowed down the knot forming in his throat and made his way out.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The scene that awaited him wasn’t something he wouldn’t have ever been able to anticipate. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance, something about the auri woman standing in the middle of the Ocular seemed odd. The miqo’te approached her with a hesitant smile as she turned towards him with a playful smirk, much like a pixie would have. It made him feel even more defensive than usual, especially since she appeared to be hiding something behind her back. What truly took him by surprise was the thing at her feet. 

There was an automaton darting around her legs, while being sure to stay close to the heroine. And it looked like  _ him _ .

G’raha’s stare was fixated on the much smaller version of himself when her voice brought his attention back to her, “Guess what?”

“Hmm?” he started, unable to formulate a full sentence. She chuckled in a mischievous way, leaning forward to shorten the distance between them. He appreciated that distance… but apparently she didn’t. It made it very hard for him not to look away and he could already feel the heat return to his face.

“I have obtained… a god!”

“...I beg your pardon?”

He was so taken aback by her declaration that he no longer had to worry about how close her face was to his. Thankfully, she decided to straighten herself up, now one hand on her hip as the other one remained behind her back.

“G’raha Tia!” he felt his heart do a backflip while his ears twitched. “Are you ready to see the Great Serpent of Ronka?”

The man’s brow furrowed in anticipation, wondering what she meant, exactly. How could a large creature be hiding behind her back? Was she about to summon it? Or was she playing tricks on him, and was about to reveal nothing but a picture?

With a grin, she started humming a song that he had never heard before, its tempo increasing as her arm slowly moved from behind her back. Once she was about to unveil the mighty creature, she happily raised her voice at the end of the tune as her arm shot up towards the ceiling, “Dun dun DUN DUUUUN!”

His bright red eyes slowly moved up as they followed her pale arm. At the top of her hand rested something fat and yellow with brown stripes.

“Scree!” it squealed happily, as its strange body began bobbing about.

G’raha blinked a few times as he observed the strange creature, “So this… this is the Great Serpent of Ronka?”

“Hehehe~” she snickered as she lowered her arm, holding the wiggly  _ thing _ in her arms. “It’s so cute, isn’t it? It decided to come with me after it helped prevent a few disasters in the Rak’tika Woods…”

The Crystal Exarch paid close attention to her tale, despite how absurd it sounded. It was the type of adventure that he would often find in books, though he didn’t necessarily expect the Warrior of Darkness to be a part of this one. His smile grew as he watched her telling him about the unusual scars that would show up in its small body and how they matched certain locations of the Wood. The fact that she was able to have fun adventures in this star… made him very happy. Sure, deep down he also wished he could have joined her, but for now, the glimmer in her eyes and lively flush on her cheeks as she shared her tales was enough.

“So yeah, that’s how I ended up with this little guy. Isn’t it amazing?” she asked the man while petting the small, fat serpent.

The red haired miqo’te eyed the creature one more time, studying its features. It would screech at him from time to time, but he could safely say that it no longer bothered him.

“It is intriguing.” he started, unsure of how else to describe the wobbly life form. “But I’m sure that it is a wise creature... for having chosen to travel with you.”

The two locked eyes and she gave him a big, heartfelt smile. He could only respond to it with his own awkward one, just before looking away shyly.

“Well, that’s all I have to show you today! I’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

G’raha looked up at the cheerful au’ra and nodded, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Waving at him goodbye, she left the Ocular with her usual quick pace. The man watched her go with a content smile, at least until he noticed another thing scurrying after her.

...He never got to ask why she had an automaton replica of his younger self, and it never occurred to her to explain that to him.

The Crystal Exarch slowly turned back to the large portal at the end of the room, where he could now see her make her way around the Crystarium. He decided to stay and watch her for a while, as he wondered if they were both idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally getting into the humor! And of course, we can't forget about the fluff. 
> 
> Hopefully this chapter will explain some out-of-character circumstances from the previous one... and I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Many thanks to DraiochtEve once again, for her patience and goodwill while reviewing this chapter. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first fanfic I've ever written, and I'd appreciate constructive criticism to help me grow as a writer. Also, english isn't my first language, so I'm not even going to try the fancy dialogue from the game... Still, I'm doing my best.
> 
> Many thanks to DraiochtEve for putting up with me and reviewing this fanfic. The original work was a mess, and she made it bearable <3


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